2017 is done and dusted. That means it's time to revisit this year's web design trends and see what's coming up for next year! It's the time web designers can start getting ready for upgrading their online projects with latest web design trends for the upcoming year. What will be in demand in 2018? What website design trends in 2018 will be more popular than others? Which ones will be more appreciated by the highly demanding web community?

Only time will tell.

Still, we want to leap ahead and suggest several web design trends that might penetrate even deeper in the contemporary website developments used by designers world-wide.

WordPress powers millions of websites and blogs - infact it's just hit the 27% of all websites on the internet. It is the preferred CMS of users of different backgrounds. The amount of ready-made WordPress themes out numbers other pre-made solution for any other platform and CMS. That’s why we have decided to focus on the trends that will be applicable to WordPress in 2018, as well as several suggested themes demonstrating how a specific trend can be brought to life.

1. Web Design Trend: Micro / Mini Interactions

Microinteractions have become indispensable for a number of apps, social networks, and sites. Some of them are visible, others are not. Single task-based interactions started gaining popularity back in 2015. In 2016, micro interactions became one of the leading development trends. In 2017 and 2018, the trend is expected to evolve a little bit.

Micro-mini interactions are smaller segments within a greater interaction. These are expected to become far more popular within mobile phone apps and the services that we are using on-the-go.

What can this be?

Let's consider this on the example of the popular social networking apps that we use on a daily basis. Facebook and LinkedIn allow us to engage with dozens of micro-interactions without actually recognizing it. For example, connecting with a person on LinkedIn is a micro-interaction, whereas tapping a "connect" button on a person's profile is a micro-mini interaction.

2. Age-Responsive Design

Responsive designs can adjust to any screen size on the fly.

With a growing popularity of the use of mobile devices, it's a must to make your website's design fully responsive. Since most websites are already adaptive, the next logical step that web designers and WordPress developers need to take is making those applicable to a wide range of users of different age groups.

The approach is being already used in online advertising.

Targeting different age groups, the latter can provide the audience with the content that is relevant to a 10-year old user and also one in their 60s. When it comes to website development, the abundance of metadata can make your site age-responsive as well. This can be achieved by means of fonts of different sizes and the space surrounding your site's content. Website layouts can become far easier on the eyes by means of softer colors.

3. Bold Typography

If you are looking for ways to bring more personality to your site, then typography is one of the most effective design elements that should help you achieve the desired results.

Typography can not only provide for a better readability of your site's content. It can also set the tone of your online project, evoke emotions, trigger associations, etc. Over-sized typography is expected to keep pushing into website designs that will be produced in 2018. Dynamic texts layered over the parallax scrolling backgrounds will be a perfect match for sites that do not want to leave their audience indifferent.

Changes in typography always feature in designer trends - this year is of course, no different.

4. More Card based designs / layouts

Pinterest-inspired card-based layouts make websites so much easier to navigate - especially on smaller screens.

By organizing different pieces of content into cards, you make your site’s pages seamless to scan. Cards are indispensable for mobile-first designs. Adjusting to a variety of smartphone and tablet screen sizes, all content that you share on your site can be also filtered or organized as per certain criteria. Thus, people can choose what specific type of data caters to their needs the most.

As website designs become increasingly mobile first, this card based layouts is one of the development trends which will become increasingly popular in 2018.

5. Advanced Scrolling mechanisms

Scrolling is expected to go far beyond a simple technique for getting to the bottom of the page from its top. We've seen infinity scrolling remain popular during 2017 so we don't believe this website development trend is going anywhere anytime soon. Essentially, it keeps a visitor wanting more.

Scrolling will be especially appreciated by smartphone users.

For example,

Facebook is increasingly using advanced scrolling mechanisms. By scrolling through the content, a user can see specific areas of the site become “alive” as you reach a certain content block. Scrolling works not only with a static content. Videos can start playing as a person reaches them. As soon as a user navigates to a different content block, videos pause for further reference.

6. Video Is the King

Since the original prediction by Bill Gates, that content is king - this has never ever changed. It's adapted slightly, yet never changed. Quality content is indeed king.

Yet, in this day and age, quality content comes increasingly in the form of video. So let's adapt the notion as our next in the most popular web design trends: Video is king.

Visual presentation of your web resources plays a tremendous role in the effect it will have on the audience. Quality imagery is expected to be accompanied by short video clips on websites far more often.

Moving backgrounds are not new to website designers. Still, they are expected to be used for a better storytelling far more often than not.

Videos make websites more dynamic and interactive. They deliver your message to the target audience more effectively. These can entertain your visitors yet generate higher conversion rates.

Expect this web design trend to stay around AND increase in popularity in 2018.

8. Designing for De-linearity

We’ve seen enough simple designs already. Now, it’s high time for great changes.

Gone are the days when we gave people what they asked for. Let’s provide them with what they really need.

De-linearity is all about giving the audience more paths to navigate through. Providing them with more diverse ways of completing every single touchpoint, you deliver a more interactive and user-friendly way of perceiving your content to the community.

9. Decline of Stock Imagery

Have you ever noticed that most of the sites belonging to one niche look and feel the same?

Will you recollect any of those similar resources and which of its element stuck in your memory? Does nothing come to mind?

It's clear why... In addition to using similar layout structures and equivalent design elements, many businesses use the same stock photos, which by no means make their sites more remarkable.

A modern user is picky and demanding. He seeks authenticity from the business/brand he wants to deal with. That's why stock photography will hardly capture their eye. Custom illustrations bring more personality to online projects, making your site's visual appeal stick in your clients' memory for long.

This is one of the website design trends we hope will pick up speed - everyone needs to make this happen by using less and less stock photography, but rather more and more custom imagery.

10. Trustworthy Design

Trust plays a pre-defining role in the success of any business.

If you look and sound trustworthy, the audience will refer to you as a reliable professional. If the users feel trust to your product and/or services, then they will keep on coming back to you over and over again.

The ever-growing concerns of security of data make it harder to build a trustworthy relationship with an end-user.

While businesses have invented a series of ways of building a reliable online presentation (like sharing user reviews, allows people to rate products/services, speak up on forums, etc.), there is still a lot to be done in the field. In 2018, web designers are expected to come up with new ways of making their online projects look more reliable in the eyes of the community. Design you trust is a trend which is going to become increasingly important in 2018.

These were the 10 suggested web design trends that we think will become more popular than others in 2018. While the year 2017 is now in the history books, we are grateful to it for all changes that it has brought to our understanding of website development. Now, it’s time to move on. We are anticipating the next year to impress us with something new and unexpected.

Let’s keep a finger on the pulse and see which of the aforementioned trends will rule the web in 2018.

What about you? What are the web design trends you predict will be popular in 2018 and beyond?

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CollectiveRay is run by David Attard - working in and around the web design niche for more than 12 years, we provide actionable tips for people who work with and on websites. We also run DronesBuy.net - a website for drone hobbyists.